52

The origins of the Dude are in the Port Huron Statement—

The manifesto for its time and place.

Dig the decree and you dig the Dude.

Read the uncompromised first draft.

You can imagine where it went from there:

The bums lost.

Keep your voice down in a family restaurant.

Do not step on anyone’s toes.

Make everything a first amendment issue,

And everything will be a fucking travesty with you, man.

Father’s weakness is vanity.

Do you have to use so many cuss words when you’re doing business?

Have it your way and you’ll fuck this up.

Sympathizing here makes you a worthy fucking adversary.

Why don’t you fucking listen occasionally?

You might learn something.

Tao Te Ching: 52

The progenitor of the world

May be thought of as its mother.

You must first learn to fathom the mother

In order to understand the children.

Then, once the children are made sense of,

You can return to the maternal bosom

And she will protect you from all the peril in the world.

Temper your senses,

Cultivate restraint,

And you will enjoy a life of peace.

Alternatively,

Keep your mouth always open,
Multiply your activities,

And you will invite all the trouble in the world.

Cherishing the insignificant

Reveals great profundity.

Aligning with the fragile

Confers great strength.

Use Tao to illuminate things instead of doctrine.

This will help safeguard you from misfortune.

It is a practice which inculcates insight.